Dawn & Dru
by Gitana
Summary: Dawn believes Drusilla is her mother after being brainwashed.
1. Mommy Dearest

**DAWN & DRU**

**By:** Gitana  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Timeline:** Late BTVS S5, alternate set of events  
**Disclaimer:** Basically, it ALL belongs to Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon.

* * *

Dawn was 18.

Dawn didn't have a boyfriend.

Dawn could speak 2 languages.

Dawn didn't know who she was.

She was a strange girl, so said the few people who actually talked to her often enough to form an opinion. Taking walks outside wasn't one of her favorite things to do. Dawn was pale and cold as if trapped in an eternal winter, in an endless night. In class she raised her thin hand quite often. She'd talk about her discontent with life, how it all had to be done in a hurry, everything went by so fast. Dawn spent hours writing on her diary, she had five of them gathering every thought, every outrage. Her confusing existence was plagued with mysteries she tried to avoid and ignore. Dawn was lonely. Her smile barely left its hiding place. But above all else she was just Dawn, Dawn Summers to be exact. Dawn possessed a lonely last name because no one knew her other name. She had no father, no mother, no memories dating before she was 14 and all this made her a solitary soul. In a few weeks she was leaving it all behind. She had wonderful dreams, large poems in the tips of her fingers waiting to be written. Her soul shining with crossing red flames of fire and sand, a new road ahead of her, paving the way for a re birth of sorts.

All her stuff was in the cab when she closed the front door of the institution that had being her home for almost five years. No one ever told her how she got there, or who paid for her long stay, or who she was. After years of looking for clues she got tired of chasing ghosts. She decided to shape her own life and, her past, with only her name to remember, with only her name as evidence she existed. Dawn had only 200 dollars in her pocket. She's had those same 200 dollars since she got to Lowood, and she now needed them for the first time, like someone knew she would.

"Stop here, please." Dawn told the 50 something cab driver. Her eyes opened wide looking at the handsome house at the same time she double checked the address on the small, wrinkled, yellow paper she held. Her endless plane trip had left her exhausted. She wasn't accustomed to the altitude and she worried, she worried all the way to the airport. On the plane, she had nothing to look at but passing clouds and patches of blinding blue sky turning black. But she could still read and both addresses matched. She has seen little of it but California, she thought, was a beautiful place.

"This is the address that's written on the paper given to me." Dawn explained to the wondering taxi driver while feelings of shyness made it difficult to raise her nervous voice. The good man turned off the engine giving enough time to the youngster to gather up some courage.

"Let me help you carry your things." He detected the shaking of her hands as he took her bags from her lap, the rapid heartbeat in her anxious pulsating chest as he tried to come up with an explanation for the strangeness in her presence. Slowly he understood that the girl didn't really know where she was, or who was waiting for her. But he kept silent so as not to further expand her misery.

After he finished putting her not so heavy bags on the porch, secretly the driver wondered the reason for which the front door remained closed as he looked back at the girl. _Why hasn't anyone answered already?_ The young girl hadn't knocked on the door but the noise of the bags hitting the floor should've been heard inside the house by anyone with ears.

"Hey princess, aren't you gonna knock?" He asked with patience, moving Dawn from her zombie like posture

"Oh! Ye-yes" She replied, getting out of the cab. She didn't know this feeling, her stomach tossing and turning, the unexpected, the rush of violent waves of hot blood from her throat to her head. Her hands would not stop shaking. A few minutes later Dawn stood in front of the door whispering to herself under her breath, "come on" she repeated. She looked back at the driver, looked back at her old life, to her exciting dreams and realized this was it. Now was the time, seconds went by with the blowing breeze, she took a deep breath and began raising her closed fist to knock on the white door when someone called her name from somewhere else, from outside the pretty home.

"Dawn..."

Dawn froze. Her name had been pronounced by the same few voices all her life, the one she remembers anyway. This was a different voice, a female, mystifying voice. Without saying a word the cab driver began walking to his taxi. He wouldn't get very far. Dawn turned around after five minutes of frightened meditation, now her back was facing the door. The first thing she saw was a beautiful, dark hair goddess with deep eyes and inviting presence. Without realizing Dawn pierced her skin with her thin fingers at the sight of the ghastly lady.

"Peach!" The long black moving dress floated towards Dawn like a dark butterfly. Dawn pierced deeper into her skin, shivering. Blood drops fell on her long skirt but she didn't notice the red running dots. She looked up to find the woman touching her face.

"Cold hands." Dawn mumbled.

"Cold face." The lady mumbled back in an orgasmic British accent.

"Yo-you live here?"

"Yes."

"Do you know me?" Dawn asked coyly, somewhat excited.

"Oh, yeah."

Dawn had many doubts, many fears, many questions.

"Are you my mom?" Dawn cringed at all the questions and cringed harder in anticipation of their answers. Her plan of self constructing herself was disappearing like the falling stars she trusted with her wishes. The goddess smirked then sighed with pain while she drove her right hand to her chest. Then she started walking in circles around Dawn for a minute before the movement ceased.

"Me mum made me dresses. Beautiful, white dresses… But your mummy isn't here..."

"Where is she?" Dawn insisted

"In heaven." The lady answered in a sing song voice.

Dawn frowned. "Of course!" She thought sarcastically cheerful. She didn't believe the vague answer. This woman was certainly her mother and was lying to her for making her crazy somehow, and from the looks of those first 10 minutes, she was sort of mad herself.

"Do you have a name?" Dawn asked, still trembling.

The woman smiled. "Dru...silla..." She said tilting her head in different directions.

"Who are you then?" Dawn was annoyed with her short, useless answers.

"I'm.. something else.." Again Dawn noticed the sing song tone.

"Else?"

"A vampire else, luv."

Dawn hung her head once more in disbelief, afraid to look her in the eye. It was there when she realized she was tainted with blood. Immediately, Dawn felt naked bleeding in front a woman calling herself a vampire. Trying to stop the light flow she pressed her wound with her index finger but it was too noticeable already, it was everywhere. Drusilla smiled with delight, with hunger. Her lips made a perfect grin and her body danced around in gentle swings. The bodies of the two women were so close the teenager felt they were merging. Drusilla started reaching down for the wounded naked skin. Dawn trembled closing her eyes shut, sure she would die.


	2. Halos

**Ch. 2 **

"No little one, don't close your eyes. It's better if you look." She was down to Dawn's stomach now, taking a closer look at the delicious cut. "I'm not going to bite you, luv. You're like...family..." Dru whispered, "Besides, I just ate."

"You just said my family was dead?" Dawn was now convinced this woman was her mother, and a liar.

"I am."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Look. Lookie here." Drusilla waved her hand in front of Dawn's face. "Let's get inside. It's getting cold."

Dawn was so surprised by the chilly encounter she hadn't noticed the cab was still parked in front of the house, with no driver. She thought California had unusual people. Why would he leave the cab there? It took Dawn another ten minutes for someone to pass.

"Hey! Hi." She yelled nervously to a young man passing by.

"Uh, pardon?" He looked scared and his walk was quick and dry.

"Look, I'm sorry but, could you help me carry all this inside?"

The young kid smiled in relief. "Sure! Here." He said walking towards the front door next to her. After they finished putting Dawn's stuff inside she thanked him and he went on his way still taking nervous glances at the parked taxi cab, with no driver.

Dawn was sad. For the first time in a long while she felt lost. When she finally found herself, she felt lost. Nothing that strange woman said made her happy.

Almost on her tip toes, she slid in to the master bedroom where Drusilla seemed to be talking to herself. Dawn found the room exactly by following the accent that flooded the house. She did love to hear her speak. Dawn stayed outside listening while Drusilla rested on her bed with her eyes open, looking at the ceiling as if there was something there.

"Why are you scared, sunshine?" Dru asked loudly stopping the tall blonde from going back to the room she had picked as her own. "I know you're there…"

Dawn had no choice but to open the door and show her self. Drusilla smiled with wicked delight.

"How did you know I was here?" The girl was curious.

"I saw you."

"Saw me? The door was closed... Anyway, I just want to know why I can't remember stuff. You should know."

"You can't?"

"No."

"I do... I remember stuff, stuff from other people's head." Drusilla was still smiling widely while Dawn took a step back.

"What? So, uh, you know about me, right?"

"Lets see, fairies? No. Angels? No. Pixies? No." Drusilla stood up and walked slowly to a table near her, "Ooh! I know who shall tell me your secrets." She then proceeded to open the door to a white closet. When the door was pulled and the interiors of the closet were exposed to Dawn's eyes she was a little confused with the contents. Hundreds and hundreds of dolls fell to the floor helplessly while Drusilla kept backing away with a grin on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. "They know everything." Drusilla confessed, clearly excited. She bent her body and reached down to pick up a blonde doll with a dirty dress and a couple of visible scratches all over the plastic flesh. The doll also had her eyes covered with a red piece of cloth. Dawn had all the tiny invisible hairs on her arms up after a fierce cold took over her anatomy. After getting the doll, Dru walked over to Dawn holding the thing like a new born baby.

"Miss Edith will answer you. Now ask her."

"That's a doll."

"Shhh. She doesn't know. Now tell her."

Dawn was afraid of Drusilla so all she could do was suck it up and talk to the damn thing. Her fingers were tangled between each other like pink little serpentines, even her pajamas were shaking.

"Hm, Miss Edith... Wh-wh-why can't I remember anything from before I was 14?"

"She says you remember everything you have to."

"But, but how?" A little grunt came out of her tone. "I don't know who I am. This is not right!"

"Oh, you raised your voice, she's afraid now. But she says you can't remember what you didn't do."

"I don't understand."

Drusilla raises the doll to the corner of her ear once again, "You're not supposed to be here, little girl. You have green halos swirling over you, behind you, beneath you."

Startled, Dawn took the doll from Dru's hands and started pulling at the red cloth covering the doll's dirty face. Dru stared at the two blondes as they sat on her bed. Dawn shook the doll like she was trying to wake her up from a deep state of shock. "What else do you know?? Huh?" Dawn cried.

Dru remained quiet until a dark force struck her chest with a painful, glowing force. "Oooohh" Drusilla began twisting on the floor. Her black dress ran to her thighs and slashes from an unseen hand tortured the crazy vampire. Dawn covered her eyes and in fetal position kept herself on the bed far from the invisible danger. "Ooooh!" Drusilla moaned in hurtful short cries.

"What's happening?" Dawn yelled at the top of her lungs while tears entered her mouth tasting like raw salt being sprinkled over open wounds. Dawn opened her eyes long enough to see Drusilla in vampire face and that only got her more terrified. "AH! What is this?" The girl kept asking until her shivering lips decided she wouldn't say anything else. Her nerves were wobbly and her heart was pounding hard, obviously out of control.

After a few more minutes Drusilla's fangs disappeared as the torment ceased. The blood on her skin dried. Her dead body ached worse than she can remember ever hurting. "Not fun! I didn't like that game." She could be heard moaning from the floor, Dawn still was holding on to Miss Edith, watching the vampire struggle to get up. While she wanted to help her panic held her down, unable to move. Suddenly another rush of cold wind entered through the closed window, "Sorry, Luv."

Dru immediately recognized the loving voice, "Spike?"


	3. Who Are You?

**Ch. 3 **

"Spike? Is that you?" Drusilla asked helplessly insane.

Dawn covered herself from head to toes with a long, heavy golden cover. She held on tight to Miss Edith as the strange man approached.

"Drusilla? What the... Wait! Dru, stand up." The man helped her up and examined with a quick eye all the new scars covering Drusilla's pale skin.

"I'm hurtin' " Dru explained with a smirk.

"Yeah, I see that. You need blood."

"Spike, the girl." Dru pointed to the obvious bump under the covers. "She's tender..."

"No, love. Her blood will kill you. That's what happened to you just now. Did ya...?"

"Drink?" Drusilla smirked again. "No... I just took a close look at the open dot on her tummy. Pink tummy, pink blood."

"So she _is_ bleedin', ahh... We have to cure it before you get hurt again."

Dawn shrugged knowing they had discovered her safeless hide out. The terror in her heart took a small pause. Dawn could've sworn she had heard that voice before.

After getting Dru pig's blood, Spike went back to the room where Dawn laid irremediably pressed down under herself. Very slowly he came closer and closer until the scent of her drying blood almost made him faint. "Too strong" He thought. He backed up, picked up a black towel hanging from a clip on the grey wall to cover his nose. In his right hand a menacing knife pointed forward as he once again walked over to the bed.

"Wake up, pet." Dawn jumped and the covers along with her, Spike smiled to himself. "Come on Bit, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Why are you here?" The shaky voice didn't show any signs of a threat so Spike threw the shiny knife at the mountain of dirty dolls.

"That's a wicked long story."

"Where's Drusilla?"

"She's downstairs, recovering."

After a while Dawn figured it was stupid to hide when your sole potential attacker was standing right next to you, talking to you. She grabbed the thick covers with both hands, and in closed fists she pulled them down discovering her face inch by inch. Spike was nervous now, "Blonde hair?" He said to himself. Unsure this was the Dawn he remembered he glanced at the knife he innocently had thrown away. A second later her whole face was visible and he found out it was the same girl, just grown up and blonde. His uncontrollable impulse to hug her colored the first few moments in awkward brushes.

"Hey…" was all he could say to her face.

"Who are you?" She asked. He frowned.

"Lets get of here" was all he said in his confusion. "Put this over your wound." He handed her the towel, she did as he ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Look, this is no time.." But Spike was interrupted by Dru's presence.

"Sunshine!" Dru exclaimed after seeing the determined spark inside Dawn's eyes. "We are going now."

"Yes we are." Spike reassured but Dawn wasn't moving a finger. Spike, trying not to lose his temper inched his hand towards her left shoulder but Dawn crawled back like a spider, jumped out of the bed and picked up the lonely knife.

"I heard you... If you come near me I'll cut open any part of my body, my blood will kill you." Dawn waved the knife placing it licks away from her neck. "Let me go!" She yelled.

"Dru, get out." Spike ordered.

"NO!" Dawn yelled, "She stays, YOU go!"

"But Dawn! What the fuc..."

"She doesn't remember you. She doesn't know anything." Dru confessed gently. "Her mind is an empty canvas, luv. All she knows is pain and loneliness."

"Yes..." Dawn held the knife tight and close to her flesh. "Gosh woman you HAVE to be my mother!" Dawn cried hopelessly. Spike stopped moving, thinking he must've heard wrong.

"Mother?" Spike was utterly confused. All he could make out of the situation was that Dawn had been brainwashed to forget who she is. She forgot everything about how Buffy had to send her away after only two weeks of her arrival to Sunnydale because of what she was. Spike was sure she was totally unaware of the vicious battle where her sister lost her life to keep a terrible god from gathering the information to find and kill her. How before Buffy died her friends were murdered to make her confess the location, but she didn't. After the time to use Dawn's blood ticked out, in a last savage act of revenge, the god slashed the Slayer's body until she bled to death, four hours later. Buffy's guardian, Rupert Giles had committed suicide two hours before Glory, the god, got to him. Only he, Buffy and Spike knew the truth. It had been an ugly battle, one that took the lives of those who believed in good. Their reward was knowing Dawn would be ok and that the world could not be ended with her blood.

Spike walked outside the room leaving Dawn and Drusilla behind. He had to get out of there, after being forced to remember a past he wanted to change so badly, sometimes even if it meant the end of the world. Memories tormented him every day. He failed to mention to Drusilla that Dawn's blood was protected by Willow's last spell. Willow was one of Buffy's best friends, a powerful witch that hadn't reached her potential but together with Tara, her lover, she found the power to call onto unstoppable forces that would forever protect Dawn's magical blood just in case someone ever found another way to use it.

Willow and Tara were killed first by Glory. Xander, Buffy's other best friend was next. He had taken Dawn out of the country without knowing why. His girlfriend, Anya, freed herself from the hold of Glory's minions in an effort to save Xander but she too was put down like nothing. Spike hated to think of all this but couldn't help it. Seeing Dawn cleared of all that had happened made him mad. He had no idea who was responsible of so cruel a payback to those who sacrificed their lives for Dawn's well being and the well being of every one and everything in every dimension possible. Spike also recalled how he survived Glory's rage. He was planning on saving Buffy and her friends when he smelled blood coming out of the Summers' home. He knew Willow and Tara were dead but a promise to Buffy kept him away. Spike had vowed to protect Dawn and now, sure Buffy would die he had to keep his promise more than ever, even if he almost goes crazy with the pain of not being able to help her.

"Are you a vampire?" Dawn's small voice snapped Spike from his nightmare.

Spike turned his head after vanishing a few tears. "Yes."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Los Angeles"

"What's there?"

"Protection."

"Who are you?"

"Look, Dawn..."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm an old friend. I used to know your sister, her friends, your family."

"What happened to them?"

"They're all dead."

"Why?"

Spike decided to skip the real story, for now at least. "A bad woman, a very bad woman killed them. They fought but, she was too strong."

Dawn liked Spike, she didn't know why but she did. She trusted him for some reason. "Drusilla, is she your girlfriend?"

"You could say so."

"Am I her daughter? Am I your daughter?"

"No."

"Am I crazy?"

"What is it? Do I look like a crystal ball?"

"Should I rub your hair?"

"Look, I can't tell you everything now. But no, you're not crazy. Someone did something, erase your memory but I don't know who or why. We'll work on it later, ok?"

After Dawn and Spike got in good terms Drusilla walked in to remind that if they didn't go now the sun would come up with them on the road. Spike started the taxi. She didn't know what happened to the driver and she didn't care. Her life had been shaken in a way that made her long for her quiet existence before that night. This was meant to happen sooner or later. Convinced that Drusilla was her mother she held on to Miss Edith, now her good luck charm. She saw the house getting tinier in the distance while Spike cursed the car for not having a CD player.

She couldn't wait to get to Los Angeles.


	4. Daughter

**Ch. 4 **

It had been a tough 3 months for Dawn and Dru. Dru pretended to be a mother like she did with her dolls, and Dawn pretended she didn't realize something wasn't right.

Spike was missing.

After they got to Los Angeles he went out to look for an expert on something Dawn mistook for a bad word. Now Dawn was on her own with Dru who got out only to feed, which Dawn hated. Dawn had spent as little money on food as possible and even started looking for a job. She found one in a little office where two drunken lawyers tried getting one sentence out without burping. She translated for Spanish speaking clients who only lasted about two minutes in the grimy, unwelcoming office. The lawyers paid her 20 for every person she translated for. Los Angeles had a lot of Spanish speaking people, Dawn made almost 360 in the first two weeks. After that, things got slower. Still, she had earned enough to buy herself some new clothes from a cheap store not far from where she worked. She bought mostly skirts and nice looking shirts for her job.

It had been raining all day that day. The lawyers thought no one would come in that kind of weather and told Dawn to go home. She was a little embarrassed because she didn't have a car and the walk to the bus stop would turn her into a mermaid. She pretended to call home, pretended she had someone _to_ call. After faking a conversation, Dawn told the two men someone was coming to pick her up. They believed her, gave her a quick nod and drove together in their old white BMW.

She stood outside feeling cold and lonely after she realized she had left her pink digital watch back on the house. It was obvious long hours had passed by. The sky got darker and darker by the minute and the rain wouldn't even flirt with ceasing. It was a lost cause, she knew she would have to walk back home. On her way out Dawn started looking at the streets, _really_ looking. The glare it gave back to her was mean and dirty. People's faces looked nastier deep in the dark. She felt her feet went faster every second. She remembered that was the same way the kid that helped her with her bags walked. When people walk like that it means they're scared and unprepared for the territory surrounding them.

Even Dru sensed it was late. She saw how the rain kept falling and falling, and in her crazy head she understood what was happening to Dawn. "She's been drowning for hours."

After a moment of clarity, Dru locked in the now familiar scent of her fake daughter and decided to follow her through the city. Drusilla took out a monster black leather coat she found in London a few years back. The leather coat had a hood Drusilla eclipsed over her head to protect her hair from the rain. She looked beautifully deadly.

After getting ready she started walking in the same direction Dawn always took to the office where she worked. Fast enough, Dru got there and saw everything closed and dim. The rain was falling harder and it made it difficult to trace a specific scent when the entire city seemed to be molding into one dreadful smell. The vampire shut her eyes and relaxed her mind into seeing Dawn, "Lights… She's covered by light and rain. She's under a roof her little head." By then, the sweet smell of Dawn's hair was flooding Drusilla's sharp senses, "Follow the engaging trail, and follow the beat of her frightened heart."

"Nice coat..."

Drusilla turned around suddenly distracted by the menacing voice. She encountered three men, all with dark hair and white skin. The tallest one was holding a really big gun. Drusilla didn't understand what the special moment was about.

"I'm looking for my daughter," she explained in her spellbinding voice. The men all looked at each other and shared a smirk, "Ohh, we just want to ask you something very personal."

Drusilla could still feel Dawn's little hands dwarfing in the chill, "I'll play…" she said with an even bigger smirk, truly believing it was a game.

"Good, good." The tallest man agreed. "My name is Walter. My friends and I could not help observing your nice long leather coat. Hmmmm," he got closer, "we wanted to know if we could borrow it for a little while."

Drusilla couldn't for the life of her understand what he was getting at, but she sure was hungry. "I don't think you'd want to play with me after all." She warned Walter.

"Why not? You seem like such a good sport."

"I'm looking for my daughter." She explained once more and began walking in the direction her visions had tracked minutes before.

"Why don't you stop?" Walter yelled through the rain but Drusilla kept advancing without taking further notice of him or his friends. Walter started running alone after her but the gun slipped out of his hands. Desperate, he took a knife out of his pocket and tried stabbing Drusilla. Drusilla turned around with her eyes green with anger at the rude interruption. She kicked the blade out of his right hand while crunching his left knuckles with inhuman strength.

"Darling…," Dru talked through Walter's whimpering, "you seem like such a good sport." Drusilla's fangs sank into the unwashed neck so far down she made him stop breathing in a few seconds. The body hit the filthy pavement of the alley like a rock.

Dru found Dawn exactly where she felt she would. Dawn's big blue eyes were teary and tired, her whole body trembled and her shoes had water inside of them. Dawn hugged Drusilla's cold body noticing a red spot on the corner of her mouth as she backed away.

"You killed someone." Dawn noticed.

Back in the alley the other two men looked horrified at what used to be their pal. "Man! What in the world?" One of them gushed.

The other one took a closer look at the gruesome bite marks, "Vampire." He diagnosed like a doctor after completing a simple check up.

"Vampire? I thought there were no more vampires in L.A., man."

"Somebody lied."

The vampire had found all the answers he sought. Spike was baffled after he heard the news. It had been Buffy herself who had taken away Dawn's painful memories. She thought the torment of knowing everything that had happened would cause Dawn to give up on life. Buffy was right. Dawn wouldn't have been able to go on feeling herself guilty of a brutal massacre and who knows what more. Spike thought of seeking more answers but he already knew everything he needed to know.

Dawn entered the house and quickly gazed at the noisy clock on the kitchen turned living room. It was 8:23pm; she had been wandering alone for almost six hours. After her, Drusilla entered the house as if amazed by the quiet furniture. A moment later a vision came to her of their missing Spike.

On the way back to the house Spike realized he would have to lie to Dawn about everything or cause the girl to possibly go crazy. He stopped the car he was driving and thought about it for another minute.

"I can't." He said to nobody but himself. It took him another minute to get the car going again in the exact opposite direction where Dawn and Dru were. "Maybe some other day," he sighed, "maybe." The car roared through the rain, through the shadows of a stormy, endless night. Spike turned on the radio reclaiming his right to keep a promise made long ago.

-THE END-


End file.
